Tag: acrylics

There has been a new break through in the world of nail technology. Although the method of silk nails was brought to the UK in the 1980’s, they have only recently took off with more and more beauticians training in the method. For many years the silk method was shadowed by the old fashioned acrylics.

In the world of nails it has recently been found out how bad acrylics nails really are. With the many nail shapes and lengths that you can have done, after a few days they will start to grow out and look very noticeably out of shape. Not only can it work out to cost a lot of money with returning every two weeks to get them infilled or a new set put on, it can also be very time consuming. No one fully knows the underlying damages that acrylics cause to your nails especially when they have been used for a long period of time. When using an electric file it is critical that you down file too far down into the nail plate as this can be very painful for the client and can leave your client with split nails, once having the acrylics applied it can be very hard to spot infections which will cause them to get worse over time. Many high street salons still use a product called Methyl Methacrylate which has been banned due to the toxicity levels. Methyl Methacrylate is mainly used in dentistry as a hardening agent, due to the strength many beautician’s thought that this would make the acrylics stay on for longer. The more dangerous side of using this product is when catching your nails on something could result in pulling the nail plate away from the nail bed, in the long run this could potentially cause the nail plate to be unable to grow back. If acrylics are fitted and removed properly using the correct products there is usually not that much damage, other than having really long nails.

The method of silk nails are much better as they don’t damage your nails half as much as acrylics do. Although silk wraps cost between £5 to £10 more than acrylics it is definitely worth paying the extra bit than have to worry about the damage you will be left with. They take about 30 minutes longer as it is a more complicated and time consuming process, cutting the silk wrap the the correct size is the time consuming part as it is a thin fabric and one cut can make you have to start again as opposed to acrylics where you are filing the tips. Many people think silk wraps look a lot nicer than acrylics as it is a more natural look and they are not obvious, they also help your nails grow,

If you are experiencing some bad acrylic damage here are some ways to help solve your problems: Trim your nails down and push your cuticles back as this will stimulate nail growth, it is important to keep your nails clean to prevent infection, moisturise your hands and nails, if your nails are not too sore then try to file all the rough edges out and buff the nail plate as the oil in your nail will serve as a protective layer. Lastly apply a light oil, such as solar oil, to your nails daily and do not paint them with polish for a while as your nails need to breathe.

Next week I will be trying silk wraps out, I hope my blog has helped all you acrylics wearers out there like myself!